Department for Transport

Remembrance Day

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what part representatives of the Merchant Navy will play in the Festival of Remembrance this year.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Decisions on the part to be played by representatives of the Merchant Navy in the Festival of Remembrance are for the Royal British Legion (RBL), who organise the Festival. Our understanding from the RBL is that there will be a larger representation of serving Merchant Navy personnel at the Festival this year (normally there are five or six, but this year there will be around twenty). There will also be a small allocation of tickets to Merchant Navy veterans.

M1

Lord Radice: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many road miles between junction 10 of the M1 and Leeds are currently subject to restrictions in respect of roadworks.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: A total of 57.1 miles of the M1 between Junction 10 and Junction 43 for Leeds are currently subject to restrictions in respect of road works.   These road works all relate to upgrades to this section of the M1, part of an ambitious £15.2 billion plan to triple annual levels of spending on England’s motorways and major ‘A’ roads by the end of the decade to improve capacity and condition.   The works associated with these restrictions are set out in the table below. SCHEMECURRENT RESTRICTION MILEAGEM1 J11a (A5-M1 Link)1.8M1 J15-19 Smart Motorway & M1 J19 Improvement22.9M1 J21-21a Bridge construction1.4M1 J28-31 Smart Motorway18.7M1 J32-35a Smart Motorway5.1M1 J39-42 Smart Motorway7.2

M1

Lord Radice: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money is currently committed to enhancements of the M1; and when the current programmes will be completed.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The following schemes have committed construction budgets. MotorwayApproved BudgetScheduled CompletionM1 J28-31 Smart Motorway£205.8m (plus £14m of additional resurfacing)Q4 2015/16 M1 J32-35a Smart Motorway£125.5mQ4 2016/17 M1 J39-42 Smart Motorway£120mQ3 2015/16 M1 J19 Improvements£190.7mQ3 2016/17 M1 J13-19 Smart MotorwayPhase 1 is M1 J19-16 approved budget of £101.6m scheduled to start Q3 2015/16.Overall scheme (J143-19) is scheduled to complete in 2021/22 M1 J38 North Bound Exit-SlipDropped kerbs and improved signing, cost of £146kAugust 2015 M1 J37 South Bound Exit-SlipSigning improvements, cost of £462k.September 2015There are other interventions planned on the M1 which do not yet have confirmed costs, but timescales are: - M1 J24-25 Smart Motorway starting 2016/17 and completing 2017/18 - M1 Junction 45 improvement starting in 2017, completion not yet confirmed - M1 J23a-24 Smart Motorway starting before end 2019/20, completion not yet confirmed

M1

Lord Radice: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been levied in fines from motorists for speeding in roadworks on the M1 in the last year.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Fines are issued by each individual police force though which the M1 passes. Therefore, the Department for Transport does not collect this specific data.   Enforcement of speed limits through roadworks has an important role in maintaining road safety.

Bus Services: Wheelchairs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Transport for London about increasing the number of wheelchairs allowed on London buses at any one time.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There have been no formal discussions between the Department for Transport and Transport for London (TfL) about increasing the number of wheelchairs allowed on London Buses at any one time. However, TfL is encouraging vehicle manufacturers to maximise the space available within the designated wheelchair bay. This will make it easier for wheelchair users to move into the area and place themselves in the correct position – the back of the wheelchair against the back rest.

Driving: Licensing

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the period of validity of checks on driving licences for the purposes of hiring cars has been extended from three days to three weeks; what assessment they have made of which is the better practice; and why the new procedure was adopted initially.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The validity period of the code for checking driving entitlement was extended from three days to three weeks following customer feedback. This suggested that the 72 hour validity period would not be long enough, particularly for people on holiday. The change will be reviewed after three months.   While the validity period has been extended to 21 days, each code can still be used only once. Car hire companies or employers also need the last eight digits of the driver’s licence number to be able to redeem the code. The code can also be cancelled by the driver at any time, which puts individual users in control of their information.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Autism: Research

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding they have committed to research into autism in each of the last five years.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government supports medical and clinical research. MRC expenditure on autism in each of the last five years is as follows:   Year£m2010/11£2.4m2011/12£2.6m2012/13£2.8m2013/14£2.7m2014/15£2.8m

Ministry of Defence

Syria: Military Intervention

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many combat missions involving British pilots embedded with US forces have taken place over Syria since August 2013; whether Ministers gave permission for the involvement of British personnel in such missions; and if so, why Parliament was not informed.

Earl Howe: Five British pilots embedded with Coalition forces have been involved in combat missions over Syria under the operational command of their host nation. Ministers authorise the embedding of UK personnel on deployment with host forces. It has been long-standing practice not to announce such deployments.

Syria: Military Intervention

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the criteria that would allow air attacks on ISIL targets in Syria without prior reference to Parliament have been changed.

Earl Howe: No. We will return to Parliament for a separate decision if we propose to take military action against ISIL in Syria, but as the Prime Minister has said, if there were a critical British national interest at stake or if there were the need to act to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, we would act immediately and explain to Parliament afterwards.

Aircraft Carriers: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what capabilities the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers will have for launching and retrieving drones and other remotely piloted aircraft systems when they enter service with the Royal Navy; and what they are currently intended to be fitted with at that time.

Earl Howe: The Queen Elizabeth-class carriers have an extensive flight deck and hangar and engineering support facilities, which could be utilised to operate and sustain drones and other remotely piloted aircraft systems in the future.The Royal Navy and Joint Forces Command continue to investigate maritime autonomous systems through the evaluation of Capability Concept Demonstrators.

Armed Forces: Muslims

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many service personnel in (1) the army, (2) the Royal Navy, and (3) the Royal Air Force, have declared themselves to be Muslim.

Earl Howe: Declaration of religion is a voluntary decision for each individual. The number of UK regular service personnel in the Royal Navy/Royal Marines (RN/RM), the Army and the Royal Air Force who have declared themselves to be Muslim as at 1 April 2014 can be found in the table below: Royal Navy/Royal Marines(RN/RM)40Army510Royal Air Force40 Notes: 1 April 2014 is the latest published information available. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any vessels of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (1) are laid up, (2) are placed in extended readiness, or (3) are otherwise unable to proceed to sea as a consequence of shortage of officers or ratings.

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any vessels of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are laid up awaiting disposal.

Earl Howe: The normal operating cycle of every ship includes periods of low readiness, and a number of ships will enter periods of 'low' or 'very low' readiness depending on their programmes and departmental planning requirements. It remains Ministry of Defence policy not to publish details of the readiness states of individual Royal Navy or Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels for reasons of national security. I can confirm that the RFA continues to meet its operational commitments. With regard to RFA ships awaiting disposal, RFA ORANGELEAF will be withdrawn from service later this year, in accordance with the Navy Plan.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government where in the United Kingdom the new General Dynamic UK Scout combat vehicle is built.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the components of the new General Dynamic UK Scout combat vehicle are procured from United Kingdom manufacturers.

Earl Howe: Assembly, integration and testing for Scout specialist vehicles beyond the initial 100 vehicles will be conducted by General Dynamics Land Systems UK Ltd, in South Wales. Many of the vehicles’ key sub-systems are designed and assembled in the UK, including the 40mm turret, the day night sensor systems, the enabling electronic system architecture and the advanced armour packs. Overall, 60 per cent by value of the work will be completed by UK manufacturers.

Military Aircraft

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress the Ministry of Defence has made in examining the requirement for a maritime patrol aircraft; and if such an asset is procured, in which Command responsibility for operation would be vested.

Earl Howe: Consideration of the requirement for a maritime patrol aircraft is ongoing, and we continue to assemble evidence and perform analytical studies. A decision on whether or not to acquire an aircraft has yet to be taken.

Home Office

Immigration Controls: Migrant Workers

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to revise the Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List in the light of the current exclusion of GPs and most categories of nurses from the list.

Lord Bates: The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide advice by the end of the year on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and highly specialist experts. The Government will await the MAC’s findings before considering any further changes to the Shortage Occupation List.Actuaries are not included on the Shortage Occupation List. The specialist jobs of informatician and bio-informatician, which share the same occupation code, are included. Only the most highly skilled chefs, earning £29,570 and with five or more years' experience, are included on the list. The MAC last reviewed these occupations in its February 2013 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recommended-shortage-occupation-lists-for-the-uk-and-scotland-full-review-with-sunset-clause-feb-2013The MAC last reviewed GPs and nurses in its February 2015 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/partial-review-of-the-shortage-occupation-lists.The MAC recommended waiting until a Department of Health initiative to incentivise medical graduates to become GPs is evaluated, before adding GPs to the Shortage Occupation List. The MAC also recommended, based on the evidence it received, that nurses should not be added to the list. The Government accepted those recommendations. The evidence provided to the MAC by Government and other organisations is set out in its report.

Immigration Controls: Migrant Workers

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why actuaries and chefs are included in the Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List but GPs and most categories of nurses are not.

Lord Bates: The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide advice by the end of the year on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and highly specialist experts. The Government will await the MAC’s findings before considering any further changes to the Shortage Occupation List.Actuaries are not included on the Shortage Occupation List. The specialist jobs of informatician and bio-informatician, which share the same occupation code, are included. Only the most highly skilled chefs, earning £29,570 and with five or more years' experience, are included on the list. The MAC last reviewed these occupations in its February 2013 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recommended-shortage-occupation-lists-for-the-uk-and-scotland-full-review-with-sunset-clause-feb-2013The MAC last reviewed GPs and nurses in its February 2015 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/partial-review-of-the-shortage-occupation-lists.The MAC recommended waiting until a Department of Health initiative to incentivise medical graduates to become GPs is evaluated, before adding GPs to the Shortage Occupation List. The MAC also recommended, based on the evidence it received, that nurses should not be added to the list. The Government accepted those recommendations. The evidence provided to the MAC by Government and other organisations is set out in its report.

Immigration Controls: Migrant Workers

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how robust is the advice given to them by the Migration Advisory Committee concluding that GPs and most categories of nurses should be excluded from the Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List.

Lord Bates: The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide advice by the end of the year on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and highly specialist experts. The Government will await the MAC’s findings before considering any further changes to the Shortage Occupation List.Actuaries are not included on the Shortage Occupation List. The specialist jobs of informatician and bio-informatician, which share the same occupation code, are included. Only the most highly skilled chefs, earning £29,570 and with five or more years' experience, are included on the list. The MAC last reviewed these occupations in its February 2013 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recommended-shortage-occupation-lists-for-the-uk-and-scotland-full-review-with-sunset-clause-feb-2013The MAC last reviewed GPs and nurses in its February 2015 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/partial-review-of-the-shortage-occupation-lists.The MAC recommended waiting until a Department of Health initiative to incentivise medical graduates to become GPs is evaluated, before adding GPs to the Shortage Occupation List. The MAC also recommended, based on the evidence it received, that nurses should not be added to the list. The Government accepted those recommendations. The evidence provided to the MAC by Government and other organisations is set out in its report.

Immigration Controls: Migrant Workers

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they gave to the Migration Advisory Committee before it reached its conclusion that GPs and most categories of nurses should be excluded from the Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List.

Lord Bates: The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide advice by the end of the year on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and highly specialist experts. The Government will await the MAC’s findings before considering any further changes to the Shortage Occupation List.Actuaries are not included on the Shortage Occupation List. The specialist jobs of informatician and bio-informatician, which share the same occupation code, are included. Only the most highly skilled chefs, earning £29,570 and with five or more years' experience, are included on the list. The MAC last reviewed these occupations in its February 2013 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recommended-shortage-occupation-lists-for-the-uk-and-scotland-full-review-with-sunset-clause-feb-2013The MAC last reviewed GPs and nurses in its February 2015 report, which can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/partial-review-of-the-shortage-occupation-lists.The MAC recommended waiting until a Department of Health initiative to incentivise medical graduates to become GPs is evaluated, before adding GPs to the Shortage Occupation List. The MAC also recommended, based on the evidence it received, that nurses should not be added to the list. The Government accepted those recommendations. The evidence provided to the MAC by Government and other organisations is set out in its report.

HM Treasury

Financial Services: Overcharging

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have for ensuring that customers and retailers are not overcharged for any financial services.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government believes that consumers should be treated fairly. Consumers must be able to access clear and transparent information about the charges that may apply to the financial services they use.   The UK already has put in place a robust regulatory regime to protect consumers. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is empowered to act to ensure that financial markets work well so that consumers get a fair deal.   The Government introduced a cap on the cost of payday loans in January. All fees and charges that may be incurred in relation to a payday loan are covered by the cap. The Government has also given the FCA the power to cap the cost of all forms of consumer credit if it deems necessary to protect consumers.   New regulations will come into force in September 2016 to ensure all current account customers will have access to a standardised annual statement of fees and to ensure customers receive a Fee Information Document prior to choosing their bank account.   In April of this year, the Government helped to deliver Midata to enable customers for the first time to compare which bank is best for them based on how they use their personal current account.   On mortgages, the Chancellor announced in Autumn Statement 2014 that the Council of Mortgage Lenders and Which? would work together to improve the transparency of mortgage fees and make it easier for borrowers to choose the best mortgage deals. This project is due to report this summer and the Government expects most of the industry to have made the necessary changes by the end of the year.   The Government is also introducing measures to support retailers. The Interchange Fee Regulation will come into effect later this year and will cap fees which are charged to retailers by their banks for accepting debit and credit cards.

Loans: Greece

Lord Higgins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the cost to the public purse of (1) arrangements made, and (2) proposed arrangements, to deal with the Greek financial crisis.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government has secured a deal that protects UK taxpayers from any risk from financing euro area bailouts now and in the future. This deal gives legal force to the commitment secured in 2010 that UK taxpayers would not be drawn into a euro area bailout. Under the European Financial Stability Mechanism (EFSM) short term financing agreement concluded on Friday 17 July, Greece’s IMF arrears have also been cleared.

Budget July 2015

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they changed the basis of the distributional analysis of the most recent budget presented in Impact on Households from that in previous such documents, and whether they plan to publish (1) the analysis on the same basis as hitherto, and (2) estimates up to 2019–20.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government published analysis of the impact of government policy across the income distribution alongside the Summer Budget. This set out a new approach to distributional analysis, abstracting from the level of government borrowing. Under the previous framework, a pound of extra borrowing would appear as a gain to households. But higher spending or lower taxes today would increase the deficit and the debt burden, with consequences for households in the future. The new analysis considers how policy decisions affect the share of tax and public spending paid by and received by households. The analysis showed that decisions made by this government mean the poorest continue to receive the same share of public spending as they did in 2010-11, while the share of tax paid by the richest has increased.   Publishing analysis for 2017-18 reflects a compromise between including as much of the Summer Budget package as possible, and making as few assumptions as possible about changes in the wider economy into the future. By 2017-18 the majority of announced welfare measures have come into effect, as have most of the significant changes to the tax system. Analysis for 2016-17 would capture very few of the measures announced in the Summer Budget; analysis from 2018-19 onwards, would need to make substantial assumptions about changes in household incomes and inflation.

Public Expenditure

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which groups of the population are classified as vulnerable for public expenditure purposes.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The information requested is not available, given that statistics on government spending do not break down expenditure by vulnerability.

Loans: Greece

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the United Kingdom will incur any financial costs relating to the bailout being given to the government of Greece, either through the European Central Bank or the International Monetary Fund, or in any other way.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government has secured a deal that protects UK taxpayers from any risk from financing euro area bailouts now and in the future. This deal gives legal force to the commitment secured in 2010 that UK taxpayers would not be drawn into a euro area bailout. Under the European Financial Stability Mechanism (EFSM) short term financing agreement concluded on Friday 17 July, Greece’s IMF arrears have also been cleared.

EU Budget: Contributions

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to renegotiate the funding of the European Union budget so that the United Kingdom’s contribution does not increase as a result of economic success.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The EU budget mechanisms, which determine the UK's net contribution to the EU‎ from 2014-20, were agreed in 2013, when the Prime Minister secured an historic real terms cut to expenditure and protected the rebate. This House approved that deal on 8 July 2015.

Tax Allowances: Children

Lord True: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each financial year from 2015–16 to 2020–21, what are the estimated annual costs of providing tax relief for (1) tax-free child credit, and (2) child trust funds.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) will be launched in early 2017, and will give up to 1.8m families 20 per cent support towards their childcare costs, up to a maximum government contribution of £2,000 per child, per year (£4,000 per child, per year, for disabled children).   The estimated total costs of TFC in each year are:  2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21Cost of TFC (£m)075570650700770   These costs are expected to rise to around £1 billion per year in steady state.   Child Trust Funds (CTF) are long-term tax-free savings accounts for children. Since 2011, children without a CTF can open a Junior ISA instead. Existing CTF accounts can still receive contributions. The contribution limit per CTF for the 2015-16 tax year is £4,080.   The cost to the government of exempting CTF account savings from income tax is set out in HM Revenue and Customs’ “Estimated cost of minor tax allowances and reliefs” and is negligible in 2013-14 and 2014-15. The cost is also expected to be negligible in 2015‑16 to 2020–21.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the availability of affordable advice for savers wishing to exercise their new pension freedoms.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Pension Wise provides free and impartial guidance on what consumers can do with their pension pots, helping them make a decision which best suits their personal circumstances. The guidance encourages customers to think about how they can best provide for themselves in the future, and prompts them to think about how long their money needs to last.   As part of this, Pension Wise helps people understand when professional financial advice could be useful and how to access it by referring them to the Money Advice Service’s new Retirement Advisor Directory. The Directory helps people find a local advisor which serves their pot size, can provide a specialist type of retirement advice service, and displays information on whether they charge a minimum fee.   The government believes that it is vital that consumers should have access to professional financial advice if they need it, and supports the work of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to encourage the development of affordable models of advice to help service this need.

Insurance Companies: Competition

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of whether the United Kingdom insurance markets are promoting competition and the best price for customers.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government fully recognises the importance of promoting competition in insurance markets so that customers can get the best price possible. That is why we have given the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) an objective to promote effective competition in the interest of consumers. The FCA regulates the conduct of financial markets so that they work well and consumers get a fair deal.   We have also created the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to oversee competition in markets including the insurance industry. The CMA promote competition for the benefit of consumers, both within and outside the UK and their aim is to make markets work well for consumers, businesses and the economy.

Economic and Monetary Union

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the stability of the Eurozone.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Treasury continuously monitors global economic developments, including those in the euro area, and their impact on the UK as part of the normal process of policy development.   With approximately 40 per cent of our exports going to the euro area, it is in Britain’s interest to see a stable euro area. The UK cannot be immune from difficulties in its largest trading partner.   For that reason, the Government welcomes the progress that has been made between Greece and the euro area. A deal has been reached which supports Greece in the short term and protects UK taxpayer interests.

Ulster Bank

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of what assets, if any, have been sold by Ulster Bank Ltd to Cerberus Capital Management since 2013; and what assessment they have made of the impact of such sales on their three objectives for their shareholding in Royal Bank of Scotland.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Chancellor has previously set out his objectives for the banks in state ownership, including Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). The government wants to maximise the ability of these important banks to support the British economy; get the best value for money for the taxpayer; and return them to private ownership.   Following a strategic review in 2013, the RBS Group committed to accelerating its return to private ownership by improving the performance of its ‘core’ bank. This included the creation of an internal ‘bad bank’ to house underperforming and high-risk assets, and a commitment to removing them from its balance sheet quickly. The RBS Group announced in December 2014 that it had sold a £1.1 billion portfolio of real estate loans from its internal ‘bad bank’ to Cerberus Capital Management, reflecting the improved economic outlook of investors for the economy in Northern Ireland.   The Government’s shareholding in RBS is managed at arm's length from HM Treasury by UK Financial Investments (UKFI). As an engaged shareholder, UKFI works closely with the banks’ management to assure itself of the banks’ approach to strategy. However, UKFI’s role is to manage the investment, not to manage the bank. Commercial decisions and assessments, including those relating to the sale of assets, remain a matter for the bank’s independent management team.

Economic and Monetary Union: Greece

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential effect of a Greek exit from the euro on the United Kingdom economy; and what contingency plans have been made for that eventuality.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: As the Chancellor has said, we should not underestimate the impact that a Greek exit from the euro area would have on the European economy – or the knock-on effects on the UK. But the economic plan we have pursued in Britain these last five years has increased our resilience – and we will take whatever further steps are needed to protect the UK from new risks to our economic security. The Treasury continuously monitors global economic developments, including those in Greece, and their impact on the UK as part of the normal process of policy development.   The UK government stands ready to do whatever is necessary to protect and secure the British economy and financial system, and support businesses and individuals. As you would expect, these contingency plans take into account a wide range of scenarios.

Coinage

Lord Radice: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the weight of a newly minted 10 pence piece; what is the weight after it has been in circulation for several years; and what assessment they have made of the acceptance of new 10 pence pieces by coin-operated machines.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Since the introduction of a smaller version in 1992, newly minted ten pence pieces have had a weight of 6.5 grammes. This remained the case from January 2012, when the composition was changed from a cupronickel alloy to nickel-plated steel. The weight of a ten pence piece does not change materially over the course of its lifecycle.   The Royal Mint works closely with a number of trade associations and manufacturers of coin operated equipment on an ongoing basis, and consulted with them when determining the precise specification of the nickel-plated steel ten pence piece. Whilst no formal assessment of acceptance has been made, members and operators are all routinely encouraged to upgrade their equipment.

Financial Services Compensation Scheme

Lord Higgins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the compensation limit under the Deposit Guarantee Scheme has been reduced in line with a European directive that sets a limit in euros, despite the fact that the United Kingdom is not in the Eurozone; and whether they will take steps to ensure that United Kingdom citizens do not suffer as a result, if necessary by introducing a separate United Kingdom compensation scheme.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Deposit Guarantee Scheme Directive (DGSD) updates existing legislation designed to harmonise the level of deposit protection provided across the European Economic Area (EEA), of which the UK is a part.   This is a single market measure to ensure that depositors are entitled to the same level of protection (equivalent to €100,000 per regulated firm, regardless of currency) wherever in the EEA they deposit their money; and that UK firms are not competitively disadvantaged in relation to firms in other EEA jurisdictions.   As a result of the current strength of the pound in relation to the euro, it has been necessary for the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to revise the sterling coverage limit provided by the UK’s deposit guarantee scheme, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). However, the Government has taken action to ensure that UK depositors are not exposed to a sudden reduction in the level of protection they receive.   HM Treasury has laid a statutory instrument to ensure that depositors who are currently entitled to £85,000 of protection from the FSCS will continue to be until 31 December 2015, after which the new deposit coverage limit of £75,000 will come into effect.   This will ensure that there is sufficient time available for depositors to be made aware of the changes, and to take any necessary steps to manage their financial affairs appropriately in light of this change. It is estimated that 5 per cent of retail depositors are affected by this change.

Financial Services: Compensation

Lord Higgins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to the Deposit Guarantee Scheme, whether the principle of uberrima fides applies to state insurers within the European Union, as well as private insurers.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The principle of uberrima fides does not apply to the UK’s Deposit Guarantee Scheme. Uberrima fides is a principle that applies to insurers and insurance contracts, but the Deposit Guarantee Scheme is not an insurance scheme and is not contractual. The duties of the Deposit Guarantee Scheme are set out in the EU Deposit Guarantee Scheme Directive and the relevant UK legislation.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Public Appointments

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list those persons appointed as chairs of non-departmental public bodies by the Cabinet Office.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The current chair appointments to non-departmental public bodies made by the Cabinet Office are listed below: Baroness Browning Advisory Committee on Business AppointmentsLord Bew Committee on Standards in Public LifeLord Kakkar House of Lords Appointments CommissionDr Martin Read CBE Senior Salaries Review BodySir Peter Ainsworth Big Lottery FundSir George Newman Security Vetting Appeals PanelSir David Normington GCB First Civil Service CommissionerThe Speaker of the House of Commons (ex officio) Boundary Commissions for England and Wales In addition, the Cabinet Office publishes a list of chairs of non-departmental public bodies on Gov.uk as part of the Public Bodies series of reports. The most recent report is as of 31 March 2015. Public Bodies is an online publication (gov.uk and data.gov) and a hard copy of each annual report is available in the Library of the House.

Electoral Register

Lord Whitty: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, prior to the Electoral Commission embarking on a boundary review, they plan to publish a report setting out, constituency by constituency, (1) the number of people on the Electoral Roll for the 2010 General Election; (2) the number of people on the Electoral Roll for the 2015 General Election; and (3) the number of over eighteen year-olds of United Kingdom, Irish and qualifying Commonwealth nationality in the 2011 Census.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Electoral Statistics are published annually by the Office for National Statistics and can be found at www.ons.gov.uk.The Electoral Commission publishes data on the registers used for the UK Parliamentary elections in 2010 and 2015, which is available online.The published ONS data based on the 2011 Census does not provide a constituency breakdown by age or nationality.  Boundary reviews are conducted by each of the four independent UK Boundary Commissions, in line with the rules set out in the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, and the next boundary review is due to be completed by October 2018.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the Prime Minister's letter to Sir John Chilcot on 17 June, what steps have been taken to arrange a meeting between him and the Cabinet Secretary to discuss the progress of the Chilcot Inquiry; and on what date arrangements for such a meeting were made.

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the Prime Minister's letter to Sir John Chilcot on 17 June, when the Prime Minister expects to receive information from Sir John Chilcot regarding his timescale for the urgent completion of the Inquiry.

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the Prime Minister's letter to Sir John Chilcot on 17 June, what further steps they are taking to ascertain when the Maxwellisation process of the Chilcot Inquiry is to be completed.

Lord Bridges of Headley: A meeting between Sir Jeremy Heywood and Sir John Chilcot took place in early July. It was a constructive discussion in accordance with the Prime Minister’s letter, during which Sir John and Sir Jeremy discussed the additional assistance the Inquiry will wish to call upon in its closing stages and agreed some steps that can be taken now to assist the inquiry in its work. Sir John has confirmed it is his intention to provide the Prime Minister with a timetable for completion of the Inquiry’s work once the Maxwellisation process, a confidential process between individuals and the Inquiry, is complete.

Construction: Statistics

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to ask the Office for National Statistics to review the validity of the input data for the construction industry statistical bulletin published in May, in the light of the recent amendments made to their findings.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have attached a copy of the Authority's response.



UK Statistics Reply 
(PDF Document, 117.62 KB)

Ministers: Pay

Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) Ministers of State, and (2) Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State, in the House of Lords are presently unpaid.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: There are three unpaid Ministers of State and three unpaid Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State in the House of Lords. A full list of ministers by department is already in the public domain on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers.

Department of Health

Folic Acid

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in establishing a laboratory in the United Kingdom able to conduct blood folate status analysis.

Lord Prior of Brampton: An international expert workshop recommended in 2008 that blood folate analysis in the United Kingdom should move to mass spectrometry-based methods for both measures of blood folate used in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey; total serum folate and whole blood folate.   The Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research unit have been setting up the mass-spectrometry method for total serum folate in their laboratories in Cambridge over the last few months, working closely with the leading international experts on folate analysis at the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States.

Department of Health: Pay

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many chief executives of national government bodies sponsored by the Department of Health earn more than the Prime Minister.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We have defined “national government bodies sponsored by the Department of Health” as the Department’s executive agencies and arm’s length bodies. Of these bodies, 12 chief executives earn more than the Prime Minister’s salary of £142,500.

Flour: Folic Acid

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any ministers have had discussions or other contact with health ministers in countries that operate a policy of mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Ministers have had a range of discussions or other contact with health ministers in countries that operate a policy of mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid.

Pregnancy

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the latest figures, including trends, for unplanned pregnancies, broken down by age and region.

Lord Prior of Brampton: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 21 July to Question HL1175.   Information on trends by age and region is not collected.

Dental Services: Children

Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what immediate action is planned to address waiting times, in particular in Manchester, for children whose dental condition requires hospital admission and clearance of their deciduous teeth under general anaesthetic.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government is seeking to address waiting times by reducing the number of children requiring admissions for clearance of their deciduous teeth and action is being taken by local commissioners and public health departments.   For instance, Greater Manchester advises that it is working with consultants in dental public health, public health commissioning, and oral health improvement teams in local authorities to develop oral health strategies. They intend to target delivery of care to areas of identified need according to the “National Dental Epidemiology Programme for England, oral health survey of five-year-old children 2012.” A copy of the survey is attached. 



Oral Health Survey 5 year olds 2012
(PDF Document, 349.17 KB)

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton (HL777), why no assessment has been made of the impact of delisting from the Cancer Drugs Fund on the availability of cancer drugs in the United Kingdom.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton (HL776), what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision by NHS England to suspend the listing of new drugs on the Cancer Drugs Fund on patient access to new drugs being launched within the next six months.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when is the next opportunity that the Cancer Drugs Fund will accept new applications for review.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England has advised that the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) is reprioritised on a regular basis so that the resources available are used to the best benefit for patients.   As part of this, NHS England has taken the decision not to consider new drugs for inclusion in the national CDF list at this time and has made no decision on when new applications to the Fund will next be considered.   Clinicians will continue to be able to apply for cancer drugs not on the national CDF list through the Individual Cancer Drugs Funding Request procedure.

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any plans to extend the Cancer Drugs Fund beyond April 2016; and whether there are plans to consult on further changes to the Cancer Drugs Fund’s Standard Operating Procedures in the event of the Cancer Drugs Fund being extended beyond April 2016.

Lord Prior of Brampton: This Government is committed to continuing to invest in the Fund. Proposals for evolving the Fund in a more sustainable way are under consideration. At its meeting on 23 July 2015 the NHS England Board agreed that these proposals will subject to public consultation later in 2015.

NHS: Staff

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish correspondence since 7 May between the Department of Health and (1) Monitor, (2) NHS England, and (3) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, regarding safe staffing levels; and whether they plan to publish the details of all meetings at the Department of Health at which safe staffing was discussed.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the timetable is for the completion of the work by NHS England on safe staffing levels in accident and emergency care.

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the work on safe nurse staffing guidance being carried out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence was suspended.

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether NHS England has the resources to produce independent guidance on safe nurse staffing levels.

Lord Prior of Brampton: In my oral answer to the Noble Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 13 July 2015, Official Report, column 345, I said that “the Government are committed to supporting NHS trusts to put in place sustained safe staffing by using their resources as effectively as possible for patients. The existing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on maternity settings and acute in-patient wards will continue to be used by NHS trusts. NHS England, working with NICE and other national organisations, will continue with this work in other areas of care and other healthcare professional groups”. Subsequently, the Secretary of State announced that the responsibility for safe staffing will be taken forward by Dr Mike Durkin as part of the decision to transfer the national functions for safety to NHS Improvement. Dr Durkin will work with the Chief Nursing Officer to complete the work started by NICE on safe staffing levels. This work will be reviewed independently by NICE, the Chief Inspector of hospitals, and Sir Robert Francis to ensure it meets the high standards of care the NHS aspires to. Future plans for safe staffing work will be developed in due course. Ministers and officials in the Department hold regular discussions with colleagues from Monitor, NHS England and NICE on a range of issues including safe staffing. We have no plans to publish details of these meetings or correspondence between these organisations on this issue.

Folic Acid

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government howthey measure the policy advice on taking folic acid supplements give to women planning a pregnancy by take-up, according to (1) socio-economic group, (2) ethnicity and (3) regional location.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department does not routinely collect the information requested.   The Infant Feeding Survey 2010, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre in November 2012, found that most mothers (94%) reported that they took folic acid either before or during pregnancy. More than a third (37%) said they took folic acid before they were pregnant, increasing to 79% who reported taking it during the first three months of pregnancy, while 23% took it later on in pregnancy.   A copy of Chapter 11 of the Infant Feeding Survey 2010 which relates to Folic Acid has been attached. 



Chapter 11 Infant Feeding Survey 2010
(PDF Document, 309.11 KB)

Atrial Fibrillation

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of people with atrial fibrillation.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is often asymptomatic and not always detected. As a result many people have undiagnosed AF. Estimates have been produced to quantify the size of the undetected problem.   According to the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) the number of persons with atrial fibrillation in England is 883,938, or 1.6% of the population (2013/14 data). A copy of the QOF data is attached.   Another estimate of AF is based on the study “Estimating the prevalence of atrial fibrillation in a general population using validated electronic health data”. According to these estimates, the number of persons with AF in England is 1,363,321, or 2.4% of the population (2013/14 data). This study implies that up to one third of AF cases are not reported. A copy of this study is attached.   



Quality & Outcomes Framework data
(PDF Document, 61.65 KB)




Estimating the Prevalence of Atrial Fibrillation 
(PDF Document, 190.93 KB)

Meat: Inspections

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to end the permanent presence of meat inspectors in abattoirs and meat-cutting plants.

Lord Prior of Brampton: European Commission (EC) food hygiene legislation sets out official controls for premises requiring veterinary supervision. For abattoirs, these requirements are prescriptive and largely require that official veterinarians are present while animals are being processed. Official veterinarians may be supported by inspectors for certain activities, such as inspection of carcasses and offal, though responsibility for producing safe meat rests with the food business operator.   In poultry abattoirs, slaughterhouse staff may carry out inspection duties, though they must be working under the supervision of an official veterinarian.  The EC is considering future changes to official controls in place for meat. These may bring further flexibilities and place greater responsibility on food business operators to produce safe meat. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) fully supports modernised approaches which better meet our current understanding of the risks, which are mainly microbiological, and ensuring proportionate and effective safeguards for consumers, animal health and welfare.  There has not been a permanent presence of officials in cutting plants since 2006, and, even before then, attendance was not on a full-time basis. The FSA carries out audits of these premises on a risk-based frequency, with unannounced inspections taking place in between audits to monitor standards in place.

Meat: Inspections

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to introduce full cost recovery of meat inspection charges; and what is their estimate of the financial gain to the public purse of doing so.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has responsibility for charging for meat official controls. At present the FSA has no set timetable to move to full cost recovery. The level of discount on meat official control charges varies from year to year.

Muscular Dystrophy: Drugs

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make Translama available for the treatment of NHS patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy as a matter of urgency.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England published its investment decisions for certain specialised services on 2 July 2015.   NHS England has agreed with the recommendations from NHS England’s Clinical Priorities Advisory Group that a final funding decision on Ataluren (Translarna) for Duchenne muscular dystrophy should be made after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has concluded its Highly Specialised Technology Appraisal process.   NICE is expected to produce draft guidance on Ataluren (Translarna) in October, with final guidance to follow shortly after. The European medicines regulator has also asked the manufacturer to undertake further studies of the treatment for completion in October.   There is also a process which allows for the consideration of critically clinically urgent cases falling outside of routine commissioned provision.

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether NHS patients will be able to access Nivolumab on the Cancer Drugs Fund while the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence concludes single technology appraisals of the drug for the treatment of melanoma, non-squamous lung cancer and squamous lung cancer.

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to provide alternative means of funding immuno-oncology treatments, while awaiting a decision by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the light of the suspension of new applications to the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Lord Prior of Brampton: In the absence of guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, it is for commissioners to make funding decisions on new drugs and treatments based on the available evidence.

Terminal Illnesses: Drugs

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what factors were taken into account when deciding that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence may only consider a medicine under its end of life criteria if it is indicated for fewer than 7,000 patients across all licensed indications.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for the methods it uses in the development of its technology appraisal guidance, including the criteria it considers in deciding whether to apply the flexibilities for the appraisal of life-extending drugs and treatments for patients at the end of their lives.   The supplementary advice to its Appraisal Committees on appraising life-extending, end of life treatments, published in 2009, explains the factors that NICE took into account in developing the criteria. It states that “In developing this supplementary advice, the Institute has taken account the Appraisal Committees’ previous decisions, together with the relevant principles in the guide to the use of Social Value Judgements. It has also had regard to the consideration given by the Citizens Council, at its meeting in November 2008, to the circumstances in which it might be appropriate to support the use of treatments outside the Institute’s cost per quality adjusted life years (QALY) threshold range”. A copy is attached and is available at:   www.nice.org.uk/guidance/gid-tag387/resources/appraising-life-extending-end-of-life-treatments-paper2   NICE has advised that the definition of a small patient population as “normally not exceeding a cumulative total of 7,000 for all licensed indications in England” was originally based on an estimate of the annual number of deaths in England from rarer terminal cancers, obtained by NICE in 2008. 



Appraising life extending end of life treatments
(PDF Document, 23.07 KB)

Mental Health: Children in Care

Baroness Tyler of Enfield: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent assessment they have made of mental health outcomes for young people who have been in local authority care.

Baroness Tyler of Enfield: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent assessment they have made of access to specialist mental health services for young people who have been in local authority care.

Baroness Tyler of Enfield: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the additional £1.25 billion in funding for mental health services announced in the last Parliament will be spent on specialist services for children in care and young people who have been in local authority care.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No recent assessments have been made of the mental health outcomes amongst care leavers, or of their access to services. However, one of the themes of Future in mind, published in March 2015 was care for the most vulnerable, including looked after children and care leavers. Although care leavers may be adults, the report addressed the needs of those in transition to adult services and looked at how services could be improved for those with mental health conditions reaching the age of 18 when they generally transfer to adult services.   The Government is currently considering how best to take forward proposals in Future in mind to deliver system-wide, sustainable transformation as well as the way in which the additional £1.25 billion made available in the 2015 Spring budget for children’s mental health over the course of the current Parliament will be used. However, decisions on how to allocate funding to best meet the needs of individual groups of children and young people will be made locally and reflected in local transformation plans.   A copy of Future in mind is attached.   



Future in Mind
(PDF Document, 1.65 MB)

Mental Health Services: Children in Care

Baroness Tyler of Enfield: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent assessment they have made of access to mental health professionals with a specialism in attachment disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder for young people over 18 years old who have been in local authority care.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No assessment has been made of access to mental health professionals with a specialism in attachment disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder for young people over 18 years old who have been in local authority care.

Organs: Donors

Lord Condon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to encourage organ donation.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We are supporting a number of initiatives to raise awareness and to encourage more people to consent to organ donation.   NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) launched a new United Kingdom wide organ donation and transplantation strategy in July 2013. Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 was developed by NHSBT and the four UK Health Departments. The strategy sets the agenda for increasing organ donation and transplantation rates to world class standards over the next few years.   In 2014 NHSBT ran a successful campaign during National Transplant Week entitled ‘Spell it out’. This encouraged people to tell their friends and family once they have signed up to the Organ Donation Register (ODR). Last year’s campaign achieved higher levels of social media engagement than ever before, and media coverage reached 82% of adults. This year National Transplant Week takes place 7 – 13 September.   In July we also launched a modern ODR system which will enable people to make their wishes about donation much clearer and also link better with social media and donation partners, record more information such as ethnicity and religion and promote organ donation across the UK.   The Department also supports a number of initiatives to raise awareness in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities to become donors. Less than 5% of deceased organ donors are BAME, yet patients from BAME communities represent around a quarter of people waiting for a transplant.   NHSBT also works collaboratively with a number of partners in the private, public and third sectors to promote organ donation, such as Boots Advantage Card. People can also add their name to the ODR via Government-owned channels such as applying for a driving licence and paying car tax online.

Carers: Living Wage

Baroness Hollins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what adjustments are anticipated to personalised budgets for vulnerable people in order to allow them to pay personal assistants and carers the proposed National Living Wage.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The impact of the new National Living Wage on local authority finances will be considered during the Spending Review as part of an overall assessment of spending pressures on local authorities.